Path of the Jedi
January 5, 2015 |writer = Greg Weisman Charles Murray |director = Dave Filoni |previous = "Gathering Forces" |next = "Idiot's Array"}}"Path of the Jedi" is the tenth episode of the Disney XD animated series, Star Wars Rebels. It premiered on January 5, 2015. On December 29, 2014, the episode was made available on WatchDisneyXD.com before making its television debut. Plot Following the aftermath confrontation with The Inquisitor on Fort Anaxes, Kanan remains worried about his Padawan, after tapping into the dark side of the Force. Taking this through consideration he needs to know whether Ezra is ready to face a test that can determine whether the boy is meant to become a Jedi. Ezra is surprised, as he believed he was a Jedi, but Kanan reminds him that he only has the potential to become one. He still lacks discipline and focus, something that Ezra does not disagree with, as he grew up as an orphan without rules or structure. Nonetheless, Ezra wants to become the Jedi that Kanan believes he can be. Regardless of his mistakes, Kanan is ready to give him a second chance and orders his apprentice to prep the Phantom for departure. Shortly after departing from the Ghost, Both master and apprentice sit in the back of the Phantom where Kanan tells Ezra about the final days of the Jedi Order, when there were once ten thousand Jedi Knights defending the galaxy until the Empire killed them all. During the final days of the Jedi, there were outposts and temples throughout the galaxy, most of which were destroyed by the Empire. Kanan asks Ezra to meditate and allow the Force to guide him to one of them. Ezra begins to meditate and through the Force, he sees a massive stone, a tunnel and a bright star inside of it, realizing there is a Jedi Temple on Lothal. Although the boy does not have the coordinates, he knows where to direct them. Kanan and Ezra fly to a cold, snowy region of Lothal where they find the Jedi Temple Ezra saw in his visions. Soon after landing, Kanan sends Ezra to find an entrance. He is unable to find one until he uses the Force to search for it, at which point he discovers that the Force wants both master and apprentice to enter the temple. In order to do so, the two use the Force to open the temple, causing some of it to rise out of the ground and reveal a hidden entrance. thumb|left|250px|An illusion of Kanan fighting the Inquisitor. The two enter the temple, with Kanan telling his apprentice to keep focused, or else the temple could crash down upon them. Once inside, however, Ezra quickly loses focuses after being spooked by the corpses of two Jedi. As a result, the temple lowers back down again, closing off the entrance. Kanan explains to Ezra the corpses are Jedi Masters whose Padawans also took tests within the temple but never returned. Unlike those Padawans, Ezra has faith that he will complete his tests and overcome his fears, which is what he will be tested on. However, hoping Kanan will be there to guide him, he is told that he will be taking this test alone while his master remains behind with the fallen masters. Ezra enters the passage as the door closes behind him and encounters a fork in his path. He begins to randomly choose which corridor to go down, when Kanan appears behind him. Little does Ezra know that the Kanan with him is a vision conjured by the Force as part of his test. He follows the vision down one of the tunnels where a vision of the Inquisitor engages Kanan in a Lightsaber duel on the edge of a large ravine. The vision of Kanan puts up the best fight against the Inquisitor only to be stabbed and kicked off the ravine leaving Ezra devastated over the loss of his master. Vowing to avenge his death, Ezra calls Kanan's lightsaber into his hands to fight the Inquisitor, only to discover the weapon doesn't work. In trying to evade the Inquisitor, Ezra also falls off the side of the ravine into the abyss below. Rather than falling to his death, Ezra finds himself inside the Ghost, where overhears a vision of the other rebels talking about his test. The visions of Chopper and Hera say that they did not think Ezra was ready for the tests, and Hera does not believe they will ever see him again. Rather than expressing sentiment, the vision of Hera regrets losing him because of the skills he brought to the team. The vision of Sabine shows pity for him and calls him a scared and abandoned kid. The visions soon spot Ezra, who realizes that what he is seeing is not real. Suddenly without warning, the vision of the Inquisitor returns and slaughters the crew of the Ghost. With the Rebels lying dead, the Inquisitor approaches the boy, and Ezra falls through an open doorway into another abyss. The vision next shifts to the halls of the Jedi Temple, where Ezra believes he is trapped and alone, unable to open the Jedi Temple again even if he does manage to pass his tests. He expresses a feeling of abandonment, causing him to remember that this is not the first time he has been alone. He quickly regains his confidence and believes he can find a way to survive again. As he begins to head towards another doorway, the door opens revealing the Inquisitor. The vision of the Jedi hunter approaches him, but Ezra cannot be sure if the Inquisitor is an illusion or real. Ezra believes he can still find a way to escape if he follows his training, and showing that he is not afraid, the Inquisitor swings his lightsaber at him only for the blade to pass right through him, revealing itself as an illusion. With the vision of the Inquisitor gone, Ezra hears the voice of Jedi Master Yoda, speaking to him from afar. He tells Ezra that he has faced great fears and asks if the boy is ready for what is to come. Ezra says he is ready and when he asks who he is speaking to, Yoda tells him that he is simply a guide. As he does so, lights appear and help guide Ezra on the rest of his path through the Jedi Temple. He continues to follow the lights through the Temple when he again approaches the fork in his path. Following Yoda’s wisdom and instructions, Ezra chooses the path ahead and continues his way through the temple where he finds himself inside a large hall with inscriptions throughout the walls. When Yoda asks him why Ezra should become a Jedi, he claims it will allow him to become powerful, which would allow him to no longer be helpless and make the Empire suffer for everything it has done to him. Yoda wonders if Kanan taught Ezra that revenge is the way of the Jedi, but Ezra declines, as he believes Kanan is a great master. He swears that he does not seek revenge but Yoda can see much anger and fear within him. This helps Ezra realize that he wants to become a Jedi so he can protect not only his friends, but everyone in the galaxy. He admits that before meeting the Rebels he never cared about helping others until he saw how their good deeds made people feel and wants to be part of that. The hall disappears and is replaced by a vision of countless stars as a Kyber crystal appears and lands in Ezra's hands. Having passed his test, Ezra returns to the entrance and finds Kanan, alive and well. After showing him the crystal, he explains to Ezra that it is a lightsaber crystal, which represents a big step in the boy’s Jedi training. The two return to the Ghost, where Ezra spends several weeks building his own lightsaber using the kyber crystal and spare parts donated from the crew. After finishing it, he presents the weapon to Kanan, who admits that it looks different compared to a traditional lightsabers, but it suits Ezra well. With all of the Rebels assembled, Ezra ignites his lightsaber for the first time. Cast *Taylor Gray as Ezra Bridger *Freddie Prinze, Jr. as Kanan Jarrus *Steve Blum as Garazeb Orrelios *Tiya Sircar as Sabine Wren *Vanessa Marshall as Hera Syndulla *Frank Oz as Yoda (voice only) *Jason Isaacs as The Grand Inquisitor (as an illusion) Gallery Trivia *The episode's title is a reference to Return of the Jedi. *Master Yoda makes a vocal appearance in this episode, voiced by Original Trilogy actor and puppeteer Frank Oz. *This episode introduces Ezra's Lightsaber for the first time. *This is the second episode where the Stormtroopers do not appear, the first was in "Out of Darkness". *The working title for this episode was "Enlightenment". *What Ezra was off doing with Sabine at the start of the episode was detailed in earlier versions of the script before being cut out for time. *An early version of the story included Old Jho and Cikatro Vizago being involved in Ezra's search of a Kyber Crystal, but as the spiritual core of the episode expanded, the script was streamlined to focus on the events within the temple. *Despite being an homage to Luke, Ezra shows a similar attitude to Anakin Skywalker in regards to his need for power. *When Ezra comes across the three passages for the first time, he chooses with a Star Wars version of the children's counting rhyme, "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe" which is pronounced as "Loth-rat, Loth-cat, Loth-wolf, run. Pick a path and all is done". Category:Star Wars Rebels Episodes Category:Television episodes